Tuesday, October 16, 2012

DIY Easy Constellation Tie with Free Pattern

The days of coordinating family costumes are over for us now that the kids are old enough to have an opinion about what they want to be...or rather that more than one of them has a strong opinion about it.

But we decided for Daddy and Anson to coordinate...and who knows, I might too we'll see.  Since Eric is a science teacher and Halloween is on a school day, we thought a science themed costume would be fun.  The plan is for Eric to be the Big Dipper and Anson will be the Little Dipper.  I hope to have their costumes ready to show you soon...

But since Eric's costume is going to be made from a sweatshirt (It's always super cold here on Halloween), we figured he'd need something else for his "school" costume...so enter the Constellation Tie.


It took about 5 minutes to make once I got the template right...and since you can download the printable template from here, this tie should only take you about five minutes to make.
Isn't he handsome?!?  Eric generally makes cheesy smiles when posing for a camera, so his preferred pose is...

All you need is a little fabric paint, a pencil, the back end of a paint brush (or a blunt pencil tip, toothpick, or other small object with a tip will work too), a solid dark tie, and the template.  I got my tie for $1 at Goodwill.  I keep an eye out anytime I go there for plain ties to have on hand when inspiration strikes.  (Sorry for the spooky shadow pictures.  It was late and I was working in the laundry room.)

I started by poking holes in my template where each star was.  Then I used the pencil to make a small mark on the tie (which didn't show up well in pictures.)

You'll want to test your paint out on the back of the tie before you start.  I've learned from experience on other ties that some paint works well and some doesn't.  I experimented with white and silver, and ultimately decided I liked the white better.

Then I dipped the back end of a paintbrush in some fabric paint and put a little dab of paint for each star.  I used two different paint brushes of slightly different sizes and used the larger one for the brighter stars and smaller ones for the smaller stars.  I did use a small paint brush to make the North Star "star" shaped, but if you don't have a paintbrush small enough, you could use a toothpick to do that.

And that's it...a fun tie for anyone who loves science or astronomy.  This could work great on a little boy's tie too, you'd just need to scale down the template a bit.

Especially if they're a science teacher who wears ties most days to school.

And if you love astronomy as much as we do, but don't wear a tie, be sure to enter the Boutique Academia giveaway for your choice of constellation necklaces (open until midnight Oct. 20, 2012).  There are three easy ways to enter.


And last but not least, please help me make blankets for kids in my community.  I have mini-quilts available in my shopAll proceeds go to buy materials for local blankets for kids programs.


Please show my sponsors some love...
Onyx Constellation Southern Cross Necklace from Boutique Academia
Star Field Necklace from Boutique Academia
Carpe Noctem Necklace from Boutique Academia




I'll be linking to:
A Mommy AdventuresShow and Tell Green Keeping It Simple abc buttonTip Junkie handmade projects giveaways make it wear it   Katie's Nesting Spot Photobucket Join us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap up party! abc buttonShibley Smiles Fresh Poppy DesignPoint of View: A Creative Collaboration,a creative collaboration,point of view,point of view a creative collaborationThe Girl CreativeOr so she says
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5 comments:

  1. I love this! My husband would so gladly wear it year-round, too!

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  2. Love it - neat but still classy!

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  3. I'm not even a science buff, but I ADORE this idea. Almost as much as the posing - great job Eric!!

    ;)

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  4. This is great!! I will be back tomorrow to download your pattern. Thanks so much!!!

    ReplyDelete

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